The book title tells it all, but there’s so much more to crafting a story, and Alison Goodman writes with flair, humor, and an excellent feel for the Regency era. Lady Augusta and Lady Julia, the two older “ladies,” are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Julia is weak from illness and would rather follow society’s rules. Gus loves to …
Do you love libraries? Some of my fondest reading moments have been curled up in a chair with a heartwarming romance or heart stopping adventure or running my fingers along the spines of tightly packed books to find the one that calls to me next. When I was a child, I wouldn’t go home with just one or two books. …
In New York, Claire is an organizer to the nth degree of everything in her life—work, food, clothes, her apartment. Things need to be in order. Then she meets Matías, a Spanish artist, who thrives in chaos. They fall for each other hard and have a whirlwind courtship. A year later, Claire is questioning the “order” of their relationship and …
January 18 — I took a chance. I took a leap. I stepped off the metaphorical cliff and . . . Let me start a little earlier. Two years ago I was searching for new writing partners and joined a critique group for women’s fiction writers. Joanne lives outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Pam lives near Sarasota, Florida. For over two …
Book Review: The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson (many stars) You always know a romance will have a HEA. That’s part of the formula. But the getting there is the important journey. And in the hands of Sariah Wilson, the getting there is so much fun. 😊 Anna Ellis is a cosmetic chemist who’s in love with her boss, …
Xingyin, daughter of the Moon Goddess Chang’e, vows to free her mother from exile on the moon, imposed by the Celestial Emperor. To do so, Xingyin disguises her identity and joins the emperor’s army, where she learns archery and magic, becoming renowned and starting to fall for Liwei, the crown prince. But to save her mother, Xingyin must go on …
When the college admissions scandal broke a few years ago, I was stunned—partly due to the money and bribery involved and partly because of the involvement of one of my favorite actors. It was difficult to reconcile those actions with my teenage years. I was a good (not great) student who went to a state university. My father would have …
Before I started writing I thought that being an author was a wonderful thing, that stories were created easily and magically, and that there was no “work” involved—just joy. I’d heard about the “business” of writing and how much authors had to “market” their books, but that meant very little to me since I was a reader. I didn’t think …
The typical formula for a romance novel is two people meet, fall in love, break up over some small or large misunderstanding, and magically find their way back to each other. My Irish story made it all the way to the breakup (a really juicy scene). And then I got stuck. I know how it ends, but those chapters in …
Spring is busting out all over! We’re very fortunate here in the South to experience the beginnings of spring even before the actual day spring arrives. Daffodils bloom in February and cherry trees spread their gorgeous pink flowers. And the pear trees start budding and creating snowfalls of white. The tit in the photo (above) is so bright and cheery with …